Chateau Pout 2018, the sommelier's choice!
I'm declaring 2018 to be the Year of the Shorts.
I have never seen so many shorts out and about. In Guernsey. In England. (I haven't travelled further than that!)
There's a fabulous swirling of shorts whenever I wander. Everyone seems to be getting their legs out this summer and I'm super-excited! Could be something to do with our fantastic summer, d'ya think 🏄🌴🏊🍦😆?
I'm also declaring 2018 the Year of the Grape.
I've discovered that my vine is oozing grapes this year.
Maybe something to do with our fantastic summer too?
I returned from holiday recently and within a few days I was outside sorting out the pergola, whose greenery in this sun has grown vigorously. Once I thinned down the invasive passion fruit and contained the exuberant wisteria, I could finally see my grapeage.
I'd been told over the years that grapevines need thinning but it was only when chatting to a gardener a few months ago that I finally GOT it! I'd not been thinning the right way and his guidance sounded so obvious, so I duh'ed myself!
You wait for the clusters to form then cut off all further stem a few inches from said cluster. Thus, all growth goes into the grape and not new leafage. Yeah, duh!
The stems then need tieing up to take the weight as the clusters grow. Yeah, super-duh!
So it was this beautious sight that I was looking up at in my previous post. Thinned grapevine, done proper!
To remind you, this was the summer growth I started with.
And last year's tidier pergola is probably where I need to get to.
I'm getting there.
The very old vine is primarily used for cover from the sun these days, but it's nice to see a few clusters of grapes too.
And the word on the grapevine is that it's going to be a good year for Chateau Pout !
Marvin Gaye
Do you have a grapevine in your garden?
How is your "Chateau" doing this summer?
I hear it's going to be a good year for Chateau Polly too!
A la perchoine.
